New Dungeon, Fractals of the Mists

The ‘Fractals of the Mist’ dungeon is a result of all the lessons ArenaNet has learned from developing the game’s initial dungeon offerings as well as the feedback they’ve received from players on dungeon content since launch. Players will enter the Fractals of the Mist dungeon via a central hub that will feature an assortment of amenities such as repair NPCs and other merchants. Once players have gathered their party members, they will be launched into one of the nine ‘fractals’ that will be randomly selected for each group.

Each fractal’s experience will be similar to that of the various mini-dungeons littered throughout the open world of Guild Wars 2. These fractals will feature a variety of challenges, puzzles, and boss fights, with an emphasis placed on use of the environment. Players can expect each fractal to take anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes to complete and the game will throw you through a series of three fractals, from one to the next, before returning you to town. Every other set of three fractals that players complete will initiate a special boss fight along the lines of Tequatl the Sunless or The Shatterer.

Once players return to town, future entries into the dungeon will scale to become harder than the last. The amount of enemies players will face will increase as will their health and damage, for example. Of course, you can also expect commensurate rewards for completing harder versions of the dungeon.

Speaking of rewards, the Fractals of the Mist Dungeon will introduce the new ‘Ascended' item type. This type is a bit more powerful than the Exotic quality items currently found in the game. There will only be a couple of Ascended quality items available initially, but some of the rarer Ascended items will also feature a new Infusion slot that will make players even more powerful so that they can tackle new challenges that ArenaNet plans to throw at them as they continue to expand on the dungeon over the coming months and years.

The ‘Fractals of the Mist’ dungeon is a result of all the lessons ArenaNet has learned from developing the game’s initial dungeon offerings as well as the feedback they’ve received from players on dungeon content since launch. Players will enter the Fractals of the Mist dungeon via a central hub that will feature an assortment of amenities such as repair NPCs and other merchants. Once players have gathered their party members, they will be launched into one of the nine ‘fractals’ that will be randomly selected for each group.

Each fractal’s experience will be similar to that of the various mini-dungeons littered throughout the open world of Guild Wars 2. These fractals will feature a variety of challenges, puzzles, and boss fights, with an emphasis placed on use of the environment. Players can expect each fractal to take anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes to complete and the game will throw you through a series of three fractals, from one to the next, before returning you to town. Every other set of three fractals that players complete will initiate a special boss fight along the lines of Tequatl the Sunless or The Shatterer.

Once players return to town, future entries into the dungeon will scale to become harder than the last. The amount of enemies players will face will increase as will their health and damage, for example. Of course, you can also expect commensurate rewards for completing harder versions of the dungeon.

Speaking of rewards, the Fractals of the Mist Dungeon will introduce the new ‘Ascended' item type. This type is a bit more powerful than the Exotic quality items currently found in the game. There will only be a couple of Ascended quality items available initially, but some of the rarer Ascended items will also feature a new Infusion slot that will make players even more powerful so that they can tackle new challenges that ArenaNet plans to throw at them as they continue to expand on the dungeon over the coming months and years.

Ahahahaha. Guess gear treadmills really are kind of important. Character progression is necessary, Anet realized that I suppose.

Just like the dungeon changes, they will get useto it. And in the process, get an even bigger playerbase to come to the game. They said they wanted their MMO to be the best, how can they do that if most players get bored a few weeks after hitting 80 because they finished all the "endgame"? There needs to be some kind of long term goals that don't feel grindy. Dungeons, although I admit a cheap and old tactic, is the best way to do it. It works.

I'm pretty happy about it. They should really stay away from creating a gear treadmill in PvP though, THAT would be a cause for alarm.

Well they call it an "infusion slot" which was used in Guild Wars 1. They also follow it up by saying the infusion slot will be useful in later additions of the dungeon.

The infusion slot could be somewhat similar to a gating method for this dungeon. Aion, Rappelz [iirc] and Cabal all had such a system in spiral dungeons. It could be that infused slot just the same as GW1 in that it reduces the damaging effects of spectral agony [or a similar mechanic] or some other debuff in the new dungeon such as the Kunaxi in The Deep.

I am not sure how any of this will work. But it is disheartening if the infusion slot becomes progressive gear upgrading. Quite hypocritical of Anet.

Guys, playing a game just for the lulz is nice, but not motivational in a long term. I realized that a missing gear treadmill is cool, but it brings some problems on the table. Why i should farm a legendary when i didn't like the look? It has no advantages for me to have one. Gearstyle is very subjective and if "things to do" are forced to be a personal taste in terms of appearance, then it could be an early game over.

We do need more character progression, doesn't have to be in the form of the gear treadmill. The legendary serves as a long term goal, but we lack for short term goals, those small boosts that keeps you going the whole way.

I am not sure how any this will work. But it is disheartening if the infusion slot becomes progressive gear upgrading. Quite hypocritical of Anet.

Especially when paired with "Ascended armor will be slightly better than Exotics" after how long of preaching "There is no gear treadmill". Granted, putting the "best" gear in dungeons would give people a reason to do them, rather than bitch after they grinded karma or bought off the Trading Post that "amg nothing to do". But they made that design decision forever ago, and are now rescinding on it?

Is this sense of progression the attempt to hold onto people that the Guild Wars franchise just wasn't meant for?

Or not. You dont play the game to "get stronger gear". There is no PvE race. There is no competitive PvE. The only treadmill you put yourself on is a cosmetic or legendary one. You pick what you want your character to look like and you work towards your goal. But no matter what your character looks like all content is viable. In a gear treadmill game higher end content is restricted to those who have high skill or those with mediocre skill and decent gear. Gear is what lets you complete high end content in gear treadmill games. Gear at level 80 doesnt make or break your experience in GW2. All content can be completed provided you have a strategy that works or a good group of individuals that can play their classes well.

No ones going to leave because of this, and if they do they are stupid. Also they said gear infusion was in guild wars 1. Now i never played GW1 but if its the same system then clearly theres nothing wrong with it.

I personally like the sound of it but then again, I like my character to feel more powerful as a result of time spent. Looking awesome is cool and all, but not nearly as cool as becoming more powerful however slight of an increase it may be.

I don't understand why someone wouldn't want to have a chance to upgrade their gear. You can always keep your perfected look.

I have a feeling Ascended armor will be required to get further and further in the new dungeon but the stat and infusion bonuses will not even kick in outside the dungeon, this would allow people who want gear progression to have it, an those who want no progression to not need to touch the dungeon to stay competitive.

If this is the case, I'm totally ok with it an would be ecstatic about it actually because its allow me to progress in power while not trivializing other content, it'd also mean if I decide that dungeon is lame (highly doubt it) that I don't even need to touch it!!

If its an actual universal gear treadmill I'm going to be pissed... And my roommates may get the brunt of it like what happened with that fucking clock tower!!

Originally Posted by draykorinee

Youre in the mmo forums and you find mmos boring, Im heading on over to the twilight forums to add my unecessary and shallow 2 cents.

No ones going to leave because of this, and if they do they are stupid. Also they said gear infusion was in guild wars 1. Now i never played GW1 but if its the same system then clearly theres nothing wrong with it.

Gear infusion in GW1 didn't modify or improve your stats. All it did was protect you versus a certain ability against an enemy type. Without being infused you could be one or two shot versus that enemy.

If that is all this is in GW2 with the ascended armor, a form of gating I suppose, then fine. I'm ok with that. But if this the start of improved stats on armor being introduced with patches, like a tier system, well then that is a gear treadmill. They specifically stated they wouldn't be doing that. If they do then like Fencers said, they are being hypocrites.

I don't mean to be snarky here, but....everyone is so hung up on the "gear treadmill" thing, but what the heck does it matter in a game with no PvE content to begin with?

Seriously. For months people have been harping on how you don't even need anything better than greens to do the existing dungeons anyway, and the only other PvE content in the game is going around and zerging events, so why does it even matter if they put gear in the game that's 50x stronger than exotics? Just seems like the essence of irrelevance.

Hm, so if I understand this correctly it could be some kind of vertical progression, but tied to the specific dungeon? Could be good. You had a gear treadmill in a smaller scale and in the same time the satisfied feeling to having something accomplished (ie beaten the harder bosses)